Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an X-ray fluorescence spectrometer which irradiates, with primary X-rays, a sample having a single-layer or multi-layer thin film formed independently or on a substrate and which obtains quantitative values of a composition and/or a thickness of the thin film by a fundamental parameter method on the basis of measured intensities of generated secondary X-rays.
Description of Related Art
In X-ray fluorescence analysis, secondary X-rays to be measured, that is, measurement lines are appropriately selected and set depending on the type of a sample to be analyzed. However, in a so-called thin film sample such as a semiconductor wafer and an iron-zinc alloy plated steel sheet, selecting the measurement lines is not easy because both a composition and a thickness of the thin film are analyzed, or the same elements are contained in different layers or a substrate, in some cases. When selection is inappropriate, accurate analysis cannot be performed.
Accordingly, as a conventional technology, there is an X-ray fluorescence spectrometer (see Patent Document 1) below, for example. In this X-ray fluorescence spectrometer, a measurement line evaluation unit: calculates, for each specified measurement line, a first theoretical intensity for a thickness and a composition specified for each layer of a thin film, and a second theoretical intensity for a thickness and a composition after change of the thickness or the content ratio by a predetermined amount; calculates a predetermined thickness accuracy or content ratio accuracy by using the first and second theoretical intensities; and determines possibility of analysis using the specified measurement lines on the basis of the thickness accuracy or the content ratio accuracy, and the possibility of analysis is displayed on a display. Thus, an operator can easily select the measurement lines on the basis of the displayed possibility.